Yarrow Stadium has undergone a number of dramatic makeovers since it first started staging rugby games back in 1931. The first stadium was not completed in 1947 and it was not until 2002 that it was properly modernised, with the construction of two new grandstands. Further upgrades have been made in the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup, for which the ground will have a capacity of 26,000.

Through the years the arena, which is a personal legacy of the late Noel Yarrow, a rugby-loving Taranaki businessman and philanthropist, has staged numerous international games - the All Blacks, the New Zealand Maori, England, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions have all played here.

Yarrow Stadium will host three games in the 2011 World Cup: the United States' clashes with Ireland and Russia, as well as Wales' meeting with Nambia.